Autumn's last hurrah: leaf-peeping in RMNP in October, 2020

by Barb Boyer Buck

“All I want for my 81st birthday is to see the leaves in Rocky Mountain National Park,” my mother told me in mid-September.  The only problem was that her birthday is in the second week of October and traditionally, snow and wind pretty much takes out the leaves in RMNP by then.

OK, I thought, I will make a reservation for her birthday and hope for the best.

It turned out to be absolutely glorious weather and the leaves at the lower elevations of RMNP were spectacular.  It also turned out to be the last weekend that Old Fall River Road was open for the season, and we took a ride up that way, too. 

​The trip up to the Alpine Visitor Center via this road was very interesting; it was the latest date I had ever driven up and asset protection due to the Cameron Peak Fire was evident.
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Here is a photo essay to illustrate what I mean.  

One of the first pullouts on Old Fall River Road has a spectacular view of West Horseshoe Park, with the willows in full autumn color.  

At this elevation, approximately one mile up the road, the aspen leaves were just past peak color.

The leaves were a glorious mix of gold, orange and even red in spots as we traveled higher up.  

This picture was taken approximately 2 miles up Old Fall River Road. ​

At mile 3, we stopped at Chasm Falls.  At this point,  the most notable fall color were much lower to the ground.

The trees were starting to lose their leaves, but the ground cover was spectacular. 

Colors below and above Chasm Falls were the most vibrant. ​

Below Chasm Falls

Above Chasm Falls

At about mile 6, we stopped at Willow Park and observed fire mitigation activities, due to the proximity of the Cameron Peak Fire, just to the north.  

The patrol cabin and its outbuildings were protected by aluminum-covered fire blanket and the dead trees were removed from within the forest immediately around the cabin and in Willow Park. 

Fire hoses and sprinklers had been installed near the buildings, to be fed from the nearby creek, the headwaters of Fall River, if necessary.

My mother sits by cleared & cut dead trees, part of the efforts to protect this area from the potential threat of the Cameron Peak Fire.

In Willow Park, young Engelman spruce and lodgepole pines thrive against the backdrop of the "grey ghosts," killed by pine beetle.  The last pine beetle infestation was unprecedented.  It began in 1996 and extended well into 2014, killing most of the established lodgepole forests in RMNP. 
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"Hard winters with cold temperatures can kill beetle eggs and larvae wintering under a tree's outer bark. Related to general climate warming, average winter temperatures in the Rocky Mountains have been higher than normal over the past ten years. Trees have also been weakened by a prolonged period of low precipitation. The combination of milder temperatures and low precipitation has aided a vast outbreak of beetles." - NPS/ROMO

As we extended up into the tundra, its fall colors which were so vibrant just several weeks ago were beginning to fade and patches of snow were observed on the higher elevations. ​

This photo was taken looking north from the parking lot at the Alpine Visitor's Center. Pockets of active fire were observed among the burned swatches of the Cameron Peak Fire, which extends into RMNP's northwest portion.

Traveling back down via Trail Ridge Road, fall color was past its peak near Hidden Valley

But just past the Deer Ridge Junction dropping down into West Horseshoe Park, the aspen were glorious. Mount Chapin, Chiquita and a bit of Ypsilon crowned the scene

I took several photos from the West Horseshoe Park overlook, this one shows Mount Ypsilon and Mummy Mountain towering over the valley.

The rich colors of the willows in West Horseshoe Park warranted a close-up!

Nearing where we started from in Endovalley, I stopped to take a final picture of these glorious aspen, backlit by the setting sun.

After the most recent snow on October 11, both Old Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road closed.  Trail Ridge reopened today, but it is unclear whether Old Fall River Road will again this season.  Since 2016, Old Fall River Road has closed for the season on the first Monday in October (it used to be Labor Day) but it stayed opened this year five days after that, to give firefighters access to the remote areas in the Park.

I am very grateful for this, because my mother got the birthday present she wished for.  ​

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